Transformative Justice
Reflections and Exercises for Building Accountability Beyond Punishment
On Transformative Justice
Disclaimer: Transformative justice is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it’s important to acknowledge that not everyone is safe in every context. And in many cases of sexual violence and other harms, I don’t believe that transformative justice is appropriate. While transformative justice principles seek to create spaces for healing and accountability, they also require careful navigation of power dynamics, relationships, and histories of harm. There is no simple answer when it comes to safety and accountability — every situation holds its complexity. Please engage with these ideas thoughtfully and consider the specific circumstances and people involved. Healing is a collective, ongoing process that can take many forms
Transformative justice isn’t about punishment — it’s about healing, repair, and building safety without replicating the violence we seek to end. It asks us to confront harm directly, without disappearing or exiling people, without relying on police, prisons, or punishment models that have already failed so many of us.
When I talk about transformative justice, I’m talking about survival. It's about the messy, painful, beautiful work of staying in a relationship with a member of a group even when harm has happened. Or being willing to move against the grain of what is popular in order to uphold one’s values even when its hard. It's about believing people can change—not because they’re punished into it but because we create conditions that make healing and accountability possible.
For survivors like me — of sexualized violence, lateral violence, and systemic harm — And as someone who has infact caused harm, transformative justice is a practice I live every day, imperfectly but deliberately, because the systems built to “protect” us have only deepened our wounds. Transformative justice invites us to imagine something braver: what if we built safety and accountability together, rooted in care, complexity, and collective responsibility?
Reflective Exercise:
Take a few minutes to reflect on a time when harm was caused — either harm you experienced, caused or harm you witnessed.
What would real accountability have looked like in that moment if punishment wasn’t the only tool?
What kinds of support would have made healing possible for both the person harmed and the person who caused harm?
What might it feel like to believe that transformation, not just punishment, is possible?
You’re invited to journal, voice-note, draw, or sit with these questions, wherever you are in your own journey.
Heather